The bitter taste of the coffee lingered at the tip of my tongue as I sat at a nearby cafe and stared at my laptop.
"Anomalous entities, guilds, monsters, gates..."
The more I scrolled through the internet, the more nauseated I felt.
Everything...
And I ant everything had changed.
Whether it was the geography, history, or politics of the world... everything had changed—except for the people and several places.
"I should take so ti at ho..."
Hold on.
That was when sothing suddenly hit . I hastily grabbed my phone and inputted a street na and number.
'Please, please, please, ple...'
"....."
Nothing. The results gave nothing. In other words, the apartnt that I used to live in was gone. Just like that.
I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. On one hand, I was happy, considering that I had rent due, but on the other hand, I no longer had a place to stay.
But there was even more troubling news.
"My stuff. It's gone..."
I didn't have anything of particular importance in my apartnt, but what about my clothes?
What the hell was I going to wear over the next few days?
"....."
I swiped the page away and looked through my contacts.
[Kyle]
After a little bit of thought, I pressed on his na.
—....
The line was silent.
"So, eh..."
I licked my lips, trying to find the right words to say.
Then—
"...About that offer you ntioned. Does it co with a place to stay?"
***
Kyle's guild was called Severed Stars—apparently, a well-regarded one.
I didn't delve too deeply into researching them, as I spent the latter half of the day using my severance pay to buy new clothes and essentials. By the ti I was done, it was late into the night.
Holding onto a couple of bags, I waited on the pedestrian road.
There was dead silence around , with barely a soul in sight. The streetlamps above flickered weakly, casting long, unsteady shadows as I stood alone in the middle of the road.
'It's kind of chilly.'
With the seasons changing, winter was starting to co.
"Hm."
I checked my watch.
"It should be coming soon. I hop—Ah."
A sudden burst of light seared my eyes as bright flashers lit up the street—followed by the rumble of an engine. A yellow cab erged from the distance, cutting through the darkness around .
The window rolled down.
"Are you Seth?"
"Hello."
I tossed my bags into the trunk and slid into the backseat.
"Coming back from work?"
"...Yeah, just finished."
"Late shift, huh? Must be exhausting?"
"Yes. Pretty tiring."
I smiled faintly at the cab driver before pretending to put my earbuds in. I didn't actually have any earbuds. I just wasn't the type to enjoy casual conversations. It tended to make feel uncomfortable.
As if getting the ssage, the driver turned his attention back to the front and the car sped off into the distance.
I leaned back on the seat and whipped out my phone.
First thing I checked? My bank account.
[Balance : 7, 350$]
At least that hadn't changed. Currency was still in dollars.
Of course, there was a bigger reason for that.
'There's only one country in the world. Or more like... One supercontinent made up of a mix of all countries.'
From what I had gathered in my research, the world was now governed by the Vesperine Union—a bureaucratic superstate ford from all previously existing nations. Its operations were delegated through the Bureau of Unusual Affairs (BUA), the organization responsible for managing global affairs.
....But that wasn't the craziest part of it all.
Far from it.
"....."
I pinched the screen and zood out on a particular image, revealing a massive floating landmass suspended in the sky. At its center stood a sprawling city, its bright lights shimring through the gray mist that clung to its edges like a veil.
'Not only has the world changed, but there are strange floating islands too.'
Spanning enough space to house an entire city, it was considerably large.
"Do you mind if I put so music on?"
Lifting my head, I turned my attention towards the cab driver and pretended to remove my earbud.
"....Yes?"
"Music? Do you mind?"
"Oh. Yeah, sure."
"Perfect."
A slow, harmonious tune filled the air.
Gentle. Soothing.
I put my 'earbud' in and continued on with my research.
'The history of this world is complicated. There are ntions of natural disasters, but also rumors that the Bureau is hiding sothing...'
I rely scrolled through such information.
'Whatever. I'll just ask Kyle later. He's in a guild, so he should know quite a bit.'
My main focus right now was finding a way to develop a one-star ga.
Everything else was secondary.
"Haa."
I put my phone to sleep and shifted my attention towards the nearby window. The world outside was dark, with just faint lights flickering.
To find affordable clothes, I had to venture farther from the heart of the city. As a result, the towering skyscrapers gave way to low-rise buildings and quieter streets.
Sitting in the car, the world seed sowhat detached.
The music played softly in the background.
My eyelids grew heavy.
I hadn't slept the night before, and exhaustion finally caught up to .
The tune drifted through the air.
Gentle. Lulling.
My eyelids closed.
Darkness embraced .
And in that fading mont, a strange thought crossed my mind—
'Why does the tune feel so familiar? It almost sounds like...'
WHAM!
My eyelids sprang to life as I jumped up and shifted my attention towards the driver.
"Shit!"
The driver's head was tilted, his eyes unfocused as the car slowly started to veer away from the main road.
My heart shot into my throat as I hurriedly reached out for the wheel and steered the car back in place.
But...
Screeeeech!
The tires skidded as the car swerved left, then right.
I lost my balance, my shoulder slamming into the window.
"Ukh—Hey, hey!"
I shouted for the driver, but as if in a trance, his eyelids remained closed.
'Shit, what do I do?!'
I frantically scanned the dashboard.
Think. Think.
Then—
My eyes landed on the radio.
The song.
The tune was still playing.
A sickening realization crept up my spine.
I didn't hesitate. I reached for the dial—
And the exact mont I did—
"Uh—Ah!? Wha—?"
The driver snapped out of it, his hands jolting for the wheel.
Screeech!
The car twisted and turned again, but after several seconds, he managed to take control of it as he quickly pressed on the brakes.
The vehicle screeched to a stop.
For a long second, nothing but heavy, ragged breathing filled the space.
The driver turned to , eyes wide, face pale.
"I... I'm—"
"...Keep driving."
"But!"
"Keep driving. Just keep the music turned off."
My voice was steady, but my fingers clenched against my lap, cold sweat trickling down my spine.
Sinking deep into the backseat, I swallowed quietly.
"....."
I just sat there in complete silence.
Until...
I felt a small vibration coming from the laptop in my bag.
Reaching out for it, I opened the lid and stared at the ssage that appeared.
It was just one ssage, but it was enough to make every hair on my body stand on end.
[You're being haunted]
User Comments
0 comments from readers